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Ilyria
Ilyria (ILL-EAR-EE-AH) is one of the inhabited Higher Realms of the Boundless Universe. It is classified as a Divine Realm, and considers its patron Divinity to be Lyra. The Realm is home to many beautiful landscapes and even more beautiful residents, and is considered to be a Realm of silver-light and order. Its capital is Syrodan, also known as the “Silver Spire,” and it is led by the Prime Defender of Ilyria. Climate Ilyria is a Realm of natural beauty, controlled and precise. It is the smallest of the Divine Realms, and is expanding at the slowest rate. Its wilderness is beautiful, made up of tall, thin trees, silver lakes, and stony hillsides. However, its forests do not house much shrubbery, and are fairly easy to navigate. It is, by far, the safest of the Divine Realms to travel in, as there are very few violent wild beasts, and the roads of Ilyria are well-paved and illuminated even in the thick of night. Ilyria is perhaps most famous for its winters, where for months at a time the land is coated in powdery, fluffy white snow. Though the winters bring snow, the weather in Ilyria is exceedingly temperate and mild. Blizzards and other extreme weather events are rare, and even in the height of the summer, Ilyria does not get very hot. Ilyria also has no deserts, and does not experience thunderstorms. The wilds of Ilyria are home to a fair number of beasts, but almost all of them are harmless. Elk, deer, rabbits, foxes, the occasional bear, and a large variety of birds make up the majority of its forest life. Indeed, the birds of Ilyria are most famous in their splendor, as their songs fill the forests with calming, enchanting music. Calendar The Ilyrian Calendar is the longest of the Divine Realms, as its days are the shortest—lasting roughly 24 hours, except for the first day of the year, considered a sacred event, which lasts only 10 hours. The year in its totality is 255 days, broken down into 14 months: Imlareth - 26 days Lesyn - 25 days Poksia - 25 days Luri - 25 days Corynst - 25 days Privyria - 25 days Imber - 25 days Lyvien - 28 days Lyga - 25 days Pree - 25 days Cygathen - 25 days Irien -25 days Ryvathal -25 days Mayn - 26 days Ilyria’s seasons are somewhat atypical, as it experiences a longer winter than most. Cygathen through Poksia are considered winter months, with the first three months of the year being slightly less cold than the four last months of the year. Spring lasts three months, Luri through Privyria, and Summer lasts 2 months, Imber and Lyvien. Lyga and Pree are months of Fall. Lyvien is longer than any other month, as it is a month of warmth and rebirth, and is considered the last warm month before the coming of winter. Government Ilyria’s government has several crucial components. The first and most important is the position of Prime Defender, the de facto ruler of Ilyria. Though the powers of the Prime Defender are not as expansive as the rulers of other Realms (such as the High King of Thalderyn), the Prime Defender is considered the head of government, and the leader of Ilyria’s military. Further, the Prime Defender is the only ruling position in the Divine Realms that is not hereditary. The Magnamirium of Aurivald and the High King of Thalderyn are not required to belong to particular families, but the Di Shuja and Therydius families have respectively held onto the positions and passed them down through the generations. The second component of the Ilyrian government is the Council of Heralds, a parliamentarian-esque organization. It is comprised of 333 high-ranking citizens and soldiers, some of whom are elected, to act as a legislating body in Ilyria. It also chooses one of its number to become the Prime Defender of Ilyria when the position is vacant. Notably, only certain citizens of Ilyria can become members of the Council of Heralds. The final component of the Ilyrian government is the Imperium. The Imperium is a collection of Iridescent Priests and powerful mages that have been given the singular honor of sustaining the Realm’s Aenold, Limerios, during her long slumber. After completing their service to the Aenold, the priests and mages are permitted to join the Imperium, which serves as a spiritual body that advises the other two governmental wings, and helps mediate conflicts between them. Though much of their power is ceremonial, they are also in charge of the Realm’s temples and organizations of priests, giving them considerable power over public ideology. The Ilyrian government is, as any government may be, divided into factions. Within its social and political landscape, the Realm has long been separated between the more zealous worshipers of Lyra, often referred to collectively as “Traditionalists” or “Purifiers,” and the more diverse, moderate groups collectively called “Liberationists” or “Gatecrashers.” The central debates between these two revolve around some of Ilyria’s oldest policies: slavery, Ilyria’s class system, the role of the Imperium, and Ilyrian conquest. Generally speaking, Traditionalists are in favor of slavery, and wish for a class system and strong Imperium. Liberationists, as the name suggests, are opposed to slavery and conquest, and advocate for the abolition of Ilyria’s class system. In places of power there are far more Traditionalists than Liberationists, but among the general population people’s beliefs are much more mixed. For instance, the general population is in support of Ilyrian conquests and class system, but have become increasingly opposed to slavery over the many hundreds of thousands of years Ilyria has existed. Military The military of Ilyria is comprised of four central wings, the Priesthood, the Knights of the Spire, the Inquisition, and the Silver Force. The Silver Force is the main component, made up of the vast majority of Ilyria’s soldiers. These soldiers, after completing their training, begin at the rank of “Stormer,” and can rise to the ranks of “Blue Lance,” then “White Lance,” and eventually “Crystal Lance.” Higher ranks require membership in the Knights of the Spire, soldiers who are personally recognized by the Council of Heralds or the Prime Defender. There are typically two ways to become a Knight of the Spire; the first is to rise through the ranks of the Silver Force until you are recognized and knighted. The second (usually accessed by the children of noble families) is to become a Squire, a specialized trainee serving under one or more soldiers that have already been knighted. It is far more common for soldiers to be knighted after serving as squires, and as such the Knights of the Spire are predominantly made up of nobles and their children. Once a knight, a solider’s next promotion may earn them one of two different titles: Paladin or Crusader. Crusaders are knights who are expected to fight on foreign battlefields, to travel the Realms defending Lyra’s light. Paladins are knights who have shown exceptional promise in battle and in leadership, and are expected to help lead the Silver Force in battle. Some Paladins that show special promise are given the title of “Commander,” denoting their role in High Command. Aside from the Silver Force, Ilyria also has its Priests and Inquisitors. Priests are beings that have shown exceptional gifts in Quen, and are usually taken in by the Imperium at a young age. They are taught healing, purification, barrier Quen, support Quen, herbology, history, religious doctrine, and the art of binding familiars. In battle, Priests are usually employed as support for Knights or other Silver Force warriors, but on their own can be very dangerous. Once a Priest has donned her robes, she may rise to the following ranks; “White Priest,” “Honored Priest,’ “Ascended Priest,” and “Iridescent Priest.” Iridescent Priests are roughly equivalent to the Paladins of the Silver Force, expected to be leaders as well as mages. The Inquisition is a specialized group within the Ilyrian military. Along with certain divisions within the Silver Force, the Inquisition is primarily responsible for maintaining peace within Ilyria itself, rooting out corruption, treason, and sabotage wherever it may spring up. It also has members who act as spies within the other Realms. Not much is known about the Inquisition by the general public, as they are an organization steeped in secrecy. However, they are deeply loyal to the Imperium, and will often do whatever it takes to preserve Ilyria’s might. Culture Classes After Limerios founded the Realm of Ilyria, she went about establishing a sacred hierarchy, with herself at the head. The Ifrit (also known as the Gardeners of Sanctity) '''are the highest of the classes. This class, like the Guardians of Aurivald, are gifted with extraordinary combat abilities that have been passed down from generation to generation, and are the de facto oligarchic class (having both social and political power above others). The original Lyriites and the families they founded comprise the vast majority of the Ifrit, with very few Anglitte families that had gained favor with Limerios also being raised to Ifrit status. The Ifrit often become the Paladins, Valkyries, Inquisitors, and Priests of Ilyria. Below the Ifrit are the '''Lemnos, a class of lower (but still noble) families and higher-ranking military officers/priests. They are given all the same benefits of citizenship that are held by the Ifrit, but they may not serve in the Council of Heralds, and may not become Iridescent Priests. The Lemnos class are comprised almost entirely of noble Anglitte families. Below Lemnos is the Ludditte class, the largest of Ilyria’s classes. All beings that serve Ilyria and are given citizenship are considered Luddittes, including most Anglittes and various families descended from roaming Spritas. These citizens may join the Ilyrian military, but may not rise past the rank of Knight in the Silver Force, and cannot become Ascended Priests. They are permitted to have children and own land, though they have few political rights, and only fifty members (less than one sixth) of the Council of Heralds are available to listen to/represent their interests in the Ilyrian government. Finally, the lowest class in Ilyria was the Lourden class. Limerios believed that all beings not in the service of Lyra were heathens, and were only worthy to serve the cause of Lyra as slaves. Thus, the various clans and realms conquered by Ilyria were enslaved, forming the Lourden class. The Lourden are only permitted to have children with the approval of the state or their owning families (usually Ifrit or higher Lemnos), and often suffer abuse at the hands of their owners. There are broad expectations that a slave owner treat their slaves with some amount of respect—as they were considered the property of Lyra—but this does not stop them from brutally punishing rebellious slaves. The vast majority of the Louden class are Spritas from conquered Realms in Elda, with some being taken from Thalderyn as prizes or “mysteries from another Realm.” Population Ilyria is perhaps the least diverse of the Divine Realms. Roughly 65% of the population are Anglittes, and 20% of the population are Lyriites. 15% of the population are other races, most commonly Spritas. Of the Anglitte population, 15% are of the Lemnos class, with the rest belonging to the Ludditte class. Altogether, about 25% of the Ilyrian population belong to the Ifrit or Lemnos classes. Most of the population live in the major cities of Ilyria, with some noble families opting to live on private estates in the countryside. Religion Religion plays a large role in Ilyria, unlike the other Divine Realms. The central religious organization of Ilyria is the Imperium, which controls the Priesthood. Ilyria has many temples, shrines, and sanctums, all of which are dedicated to Lyra, the Divine Force of Purity and the Realm’s patron Divinity. The Imperium has long been the home of Ilyrian tradition, and through its teachings, promotes cultural beliefs and practices that have stood the test of time. Religious debate in Ilyria is not over the existence of the Divine; after all, with the existence of Quen and the various ways Divinities intervene in everyday life, it is hard to deny their existence. Instead, Ilyrian Priests debate over the precise nature of the Divine, and more importantly what they actually want. Some more traditional scholars argue that Lyra, as the Divine Force of Purity, wishes to eliminate all corruption in the universe, leaving behind only those who are pure of heart and spirit. Others contend that Lyra does not wish for the elimination of impure beings, but instead desires a universe of compassion, where even the impure may find peace in Lyra’s light. These divisions in the Imperium have nearly led to schisms, and in the past nearly threatened civil war, as these beliefs also inform the political debates in Ilyria. Family Education History Category:Locations